U.S. patent number 10,870,242 [Application Number 15/985,840] was granted by the patent office on 2020-12-22 for methods for modifying wind turbine blade molds.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Electric Company. The grantee listed for this patent is General Electric Company. Invention is credited to Christopher Daniel Caruso, Daniel Alan Hynum, James Robert Tobin, Aaron A. Yarbrough.
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United States Patent |
10,870,242 |
Caruso , et al. |
December 22, 2020 |
Methods for modifying wind turbine blade molds
Abstract
The present disclosure is directed methods for modifying molds
of rotor blades of a wind turbine. In certain embodiments, the
blade mold is constructed, at least in part, of a thermoplastic
material optionally reinforced with a fiber material. In one
embodiment, the method includes identifying at least one blade mold
addition for the mold of the rotor blade and positioning the blade
mold addition at a predetermined location of the mold of the rotor
blade. Further, the blade mold addition is constructed, at least in
part, of a thermoplastic material. Thus, the method includes
applying at least one of heat, pressure, or one or more chemicals
at an interface of the blade mold addition and the mold so as to
join the blade mold addition to the mold. In further embodiments,
the methods described herein are also directed repairing
thermoplastic blade molds.
Inventors: |
Caruso; Christopher Daniel
(Greenville, SC), Yarbrough; Aaron A. (Greenville, SC),
Hynum; Daniel Alan (Simpsonville, SC), Tobin; James
Robert (Simpsonville, SC) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
General Electric Company |
Schenectady |
NY |
US |
|
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Assignee: |
General Electric Company
(Schenectady, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
1000005255932 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/985,840 |
Filed: |
May 22, 2018 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20180264760 A1 |
Sep 20, 2018 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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14862191 |
Sep 23, 2015 |
9981433 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C
33/40 (20130101); B29C 65/08 (20130101); B29C
73/10 (20130101); B29C 73/12 (20130101); B29C
33/3892 (20130101); B29C 33/74 (20130101); B29K
2901/12 (20130101); B29K 2105/06 (20130101); B29C
2033/0094 (20130101); B29C 33/306 (20130101); B29C
33/42 (20130101); Y02P 70/50 (20151101); B29L
2031/085 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B32B
37/00 (20060101); B29C 33/74 (20060101); B29C
33/38 (20060101); B29C 65/08 (20060101); B29C
73/12 (20060101); B29C 33/40 (20060101); B29C
73/10 (20060101); B29C 33/42 (20060101); B29C
33/00 (20060101); B29C 33/30 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;156/73.1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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101906251 |
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Dec 2010 |
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CN |
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2007092716 |
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Apr 2007 |
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JP |
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WO2010/025830 |
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Mar 2010 |
|
WO |
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WO2011/088835 |
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Jul 2011 |
|
WO |
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WO2011/098785 |
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Aug 2011 |
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WO |
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WO2015/015202 |
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Feb 2015 |
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WO |
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Primary Examiner: Sells; James D
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Dority & Manning, P.A.
Parent Case Text
RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No.
14/862,191 filed on Sep. 23, 2015, which is incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for repairing a mold of a rotor blade of a wind
turbine, the method comprising: identifying at least one defect on
the mold, the mold constructed, at least in part, of a
thermoplastic material reinforced with at least one fiber material;
annealing the at least one defect for a predetermined time period
to allow the thermoplastic material to at least partially fill the
at least one defect; positioning one or more layers of
thermoplastic material at the at least one defect; welding the one
or more layers of thermoplastic material to the at least one defect
of the mold for a predetermined time period until the defect is
repaired.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising reinforcing at least a
portion of the one or more layers of thermoplastic material with at
least one fiber material.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein welding the one or more layers of
thermoplastic material to the at least one defect further comprises
at least one of laser welding, resistance welding, direct heat
welding, ultrasonic welding, induction welding, or chemical
welding.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising reinforcing the mold
at the at least one defect with at least one of a predetermined
thickness or a structural member such that the welding is localized
to the defect.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein welding the one or more layers of
thermoplastic material to the at least one defect further comprises
providing one or more heating elements at the at least one defect
and heating the mold via the one or more heating elements.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the heating elements are provided
in at least one of the following locations: within the mold or on a
surface of the mold.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing one or more
support members configured to support the mold, the support members
being constructed, at least in part, of a thermoplastic
material.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining one or
more locations for the support members based on a location of the
defect.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mold is reinforced with one
or more fiber materials.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure relates generally to wind turbine rotor
blades, and more particularly to methods for modifying (e.g.
repairing or extending) blade molds for wind turbines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally
friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have
gained increased attention in this regard. A modern wind turbine
typically includes a tower, a generator, a gearbox, a nacelle, and
a rotor having a rotatable hub with one or more rotor blades. The
rotor blades capture kinetic energy of wind using known airfoil
principles. The rotor blades transmit the kinetic energy in the
form of rotational energy so as to turn a shaft coupling the rotor
blades to a gearbox, or if a gearbox is not used, directly to the
generator. The generator then converts the mechanical energy to
electrical energy that may be deployed to a utility grid.
The rotor blades generally include a suction side shell and a
pressure side shell typically formed using molding processes that
are bonded together at bond lines along the leading and trailing
edges of the blade. Further, the pressure and suction shells are
relatively lightweight and have structural properties (e.g.,
stiffness, buckling resistance and strength) which are not
configured to withstand the bending moments and other loads exerted
on the rotor blade during operation. Thus, to increase the
stiffness, buckling resistance and strength of the rotor blade, the
body shell is typically reinforced using one or more structural
components (e.g. opposing spar caps with a shear web configured
therebetween) that engage the inner pressure and suction side
surfaces of the shell halves. The spar caps are typically
constructed of various materials, including but not limited to
glass fiber laminate composites and/or carbon fiber laminate
composites. The shell of the rotor blade is generally built around
the spar caps of the blade by stacking layers of fiber fabrics in a
shell mold. The layers are then typically infused together, e.g.
with a thermoset or a thermoplastic resin. In addition, methods for
manufacturing wind turbine rotor blades may include forming the
rotor blades in blade segments. The blade segments may then be
assembled to form the rotor blade.
Typical blade molds are constructed of a thermoset resin material.
Thus, repair of the mold requires grinding out defective regions
and re-laminating the defective area, mostly by hand. The repairs
must be allowed to cure before the mold can be reused, which in
some cases can take several hours due to repair and/or cure time.
Accordingly, conventional repair methods can be expensive and/or
time consuming. In addition, existing thermoset molds cannot easily
be modified for manufacturing new parts. Thus, when new blade parts
are developed, new molds must be manufactured as well.
Thus, an improved blade mold for manufacturing rotor blades and/or
blade components that address the aforementioned issues would be
advantageous. Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to a
thermoplastic rotor blade mold that can easily repaired and/or
modified.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part
in the following description, or may be obvious from the
description, or may be learned through practice of the
invention.
In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed a method for
modifying a mold of a rotor blade of a wind turbine. In certain
embodiments, the mold is constructed, at least in part, of a
thermoplastic material. The method includes identifying at least
one blade mold addition for the mold of the rotor blade. Further,
the blade mold addition is constructed, at least in part, of a
thermoplastic material. The method also includes positioning the
blade mold addition at a predetermined location of the mold of the
rotor blade. Thus, the method also includes applying at least one
of heat, pressure, or one or more chemicals at an interface of the
blade mold addition and the mold so as to join the blade mold
addition to the mold.
In certain embodiments, the blade mold additions may include any
suitable component or volume that can be added to the pre-existing
mold surface so as to modify the mold geometry. As such, the blade
mold addition(s) can be any of the following add-on components: a
recess, a bump or protrusion, a chord-wise strip, a blade mold tip
extension, a blade mold chord extension (e.g. leading or trailing
edge mold extensions), a blade root extension, or any other
suitable blade mold add-ons for altering the mold.
In one embodiment, the method may further include providing one or
more layers of thermoplastic material at the interface between the
blade mold addition and the mold. Thus, the layers of thermoplastic
material are configured to improve the bond between the blade mold
addition and the blade mold. In another embodiment, the method may
include reinforcing at least a portion of the one or more layers of
thermoplastic material with at least one fiber material.
In further embodiments, the step of applying heat, pressure, or one
or more chemicals at the interface of the blade mold addition and
the mold may include providing one or more heating elements at the
interface and heating the mold via the one or more heating
elements. More specifically, in certain embodiments, the heating
elements are provided in at least one of the following locations:
within the mold, on a surface of the mold, within the blade mold
addition, and/or on surface of the blade mold addition.
Alternatively, the step of applying at least one of heat, pressure,
or one or more chemicals at the interface of the blade mold
addition and the mold may include applying external heat, e.g. via
welding, at the interface of the blade mold addition and the
mold.
In another embodiment, the step of positioning the blade mold
addition at the predetermined location of the mold of the rotor
blade may include positioning the blade mold addition along a span
of the mold or a chord-wise location of the mold.
In further embodiments, the method may include continuously welding
the blade mold addition to the mold along a perimeter thereof, e.g.
to provide a continuous weld. In another embodiment, the method may
include welding one or more of the blade mold additions on an
interior mold surface of the mold of the rotor blade.
In additional embodiments, the method may include controlling a
welding temperature of the welding step such that the welding
temperature is lower than a forming temperature of the blade mold
addition. Thus, in certain embodiments, the mold material forming
temperature is higher than the welding or process temperature used
to form the desired blade parts.
In still further embodiments, the method may include providing one
or more support members for supporting the mold. In certain
embodiments, the support members may be constructed, at least in
part, of a thermoplastic material. Thus, in particular embodiments,
the method may include determining one or more locations for the
support members based on the blade mold addition (e.g. the type
and/or location of the blade mold addition). Thus, the support
members can be easily attached, removed, and reattached to the
blade mold via welding depending on the modifications made to the
mold.
In yet another embodiment, the step of welding the blade mold
addition to the mold may include any suitable types of welding,
including but not limited to laser welding, resistance welding,
direct heat welding, ultrasonic welding, induction welding,
chemical welding, or similar.
In further embodiments, the blade mold may be reinforced with one
or more fiber materials. More specifically, in certain embodiments,
the fiber materials as described herein may include at least one of
glass fibers, carbon fibers, polymer fibers, ceramic fibers,
nanofibers, metal fibers, or any other suitable fiber material.
In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a method
for repairing a mold of a rotor blade of a wind turbine. The method
includes identifying at least one defect on the mold. Further, the
mold may be constructed, at least in part, of a thermoplastic
material reinforced with at least one fiber material. Another step
includes applying at least one of heat, pressure, or one or more
chemicals to the at least one defect for a predetermined time
period until the defect is repaired.
In one embodiment, the method may also include positioning one or
more layers of thermoplastic material with the defect. Thus, in
certain embodiments, the step of applying at least one of heat,
pressure, or one or more chemicals to the at least one defect may
include welding the one or more layers of thermoplastic material to
the defect of the mold for a predetermined time period until the
defect is repaired.
In another embodiment, the method may include designing the mold so
as to withstand the welding process at the interface. More
specifically, the method may include reinforcing the mold at the
interface with at least one of a predetermined thickness or a
structural member such that the welding step is localized to the
interface. In other words, the interface (where the welding takes
place) may be sufficiently thick and/or supported such that the
welding process only modifies the interface and not the remainder
of the blade mold. Thus, the surface temperature at the interface
may be configured to melt during the welding step, whereas the
remainder of the mold may remain unchanged. As such, the mold
thickness at the interface can be designed to be thick enough
and/or may be supported by a structural member (e.g. a plate or
similar) such that the interface can be locally heated and deformed
with the remainder of the mold being unaffected. In further
embodiments, the step of welding the one or more layers of
thermoplastic material to the defect may include at least one of
laser welding, resistance welding, direct heat welding, ultrasonic
welding, induction welding, chemical welding, or any other suitable
type of welding.
In yet another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a mold
modifying kit for a blade mold of a wind turbine. Further, the mold
may be constructed, at least in part, of a thermoplastic material.
Thus, the mold modifying kit may further include at least one blade
mold addition also constructed, at least in part, of thermoplastic
material. In addition, the mold modifying kit may include one or
more layers of thermoplastic material configured to assist bonding
of the blade mold addition to the mold.
In one embodiment, the mold modifying kit may include a heating
apparatus configured to weld at least a portion of the blade mold
addition to the mold of the rotor blade. More specifically, in
certain embodiments, the heating apparatus may include a welding
apparatus, a radiation source, a heat lamp, a pump, a light source,
a heated blanket, one or more chemical solvents, or similar.
In another embodiment, the blade mold additions may include at
least one of a recess, a bump or protrusion, a chord-wise strip, a
blade mold tip extension, a blade mold chord extension (e.g.
leading or trailing edge mold extensions), a blade root extension,
or any other suitable blade mold add-ons for altering the mold. As
such, in certain embodiments, the heating apparatus may be
configured to weld the one or more blade mold additions to the mold
of the rotor blade.
In further embodiments, the mold modifying kit may further include
one or more support members configured to support the mold.
Further, the support members may be constructed, at least in part,
of a thermoplastic material. Thus, the heating apparatus may be
configured to weld the one or more support members to the mold of
the rotor blade, e.g. in a plurality of locations that can be
adjusted as needed.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present
invention will become better understood with reference to the
following description and appended claims. The accompanying
drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this
specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,
together with the description, serve to explain the principles of
the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including
the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the
art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to
the appended figures, in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a wind
turbine according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a rotor
blade of a wind turbine according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the rotor blade of
FIG. 2 along line 3-3;
FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for
modifying a mold of a rotor blade of a wind turbine according to
the present disclosure;
FIG. 5 illustrates a top view of one embodiment of a blade mold
having a plurality of blade mold additions configured therewith
according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of a
blade mold having a plurality of blade mold additions configured
therewith according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a blade mold
having a trailing edge mold addition configured therewith according
to the present disclosure;
FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of one embodiment of a blade mold
being supported by a plurality of support members according to the
present disclosure;
FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of one embodiment of a method for
repairing a defect of a blade mold of a wind turbine according to
the present disclosure;
FIG. 10 illustrates a top view of another embodiment of a blade
mold having a defect being repaired according to the present
disclosure; and
FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a mold
modifying kit according to the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the
invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the
drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the
invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be
apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and
variations can be made in the present invention without departing
from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features
illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with
another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is
intended that the present invention covers such modifications and
variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and
their equivalents.
Generally, the present disclosure is directed to methods for
modifying molds of rotor blades of a wind turbine. In certain
embodiments, the blade mold is constructed, at least in part, of a
thermoplastic material optionally reinforced with a fiber material.
Thus, in one embodiment, the method includes identifying at least
one blade mold addition for the blade mold and positioning the
blade mold addition at a predetermined location of the mold.
Further, the blade mold addition is constructed, at least in part,
of a thermoplastic material. Thus, the method includes applying at
least one of heat (e.g. welding), pressure, and/or or more
chemicals at an interface of the blade mold addition and the blade
mold so as to modify the pre-existing blade mold.
In another embodiment, the present disclosure is directed to a
method for repairing a thermoplastic mold of a wind turbine rotor
blade. Thus, the method includes identifying at least one defect on
the mold of the rotor blade and applying heat, pressure, and/or one
or more chemicals to the defect(s) so as to effectively anneal the
defect until it is repaired.
The present disclosure provides many advantages not present in the
prior art. For example, the thermoplastic rotor blade mold of the
present disclosure can easily repaired and/or modified, e.g. via
welding. Thus, the molds of the present disclosure can be repaired
in less time and for less money than conventional molds. In
addition, mold add-ons can be easily added to the mold to provide a
more versatile blade mold without requiring new molds or expensive
mold inserts.
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of
a wind turbine 10 according to the present disclosure. As shown,
the wind turbine 10 includes a tower 12 with a nacelle 14 mounted
thereon. A plurality of rotor blades 16 are mounted to a rotor hub
18, which is in turn connected to a main flange that turns a main
rotor shaft. The wind turbine power generation and control
components are housed within the nacelle 14. The view of FIG. 1 is
provided for illustrative purposes only to place the present
invention in an exemplary field of use. It should be appreciated
that the invention is not limited to any particular type of wind
turbine configuration.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a more detailed view of one of the rotor
blades 16 of FIG. 1 is illustrated. As shown, the rotor blade 16
includes a blade shell 19 having an upper shell member 20 and a
lower shell member 22 that define an outer surface 21. Further, the
upper shell member 20 is configured as the suction side surface of
the blade 16, while the lower shell member 22 is configured as the
pressure side surface of the blade 16. Thus, the upper and lower
shell members 20, 22 generally serve as the outer casing/covering
of the rotor blade 16 and may define a substantially aerodynamic
profile, such as by defining a symmetrical or cambered
airfoil-shaped cross-section.
The rotor blade 16 also includes a leading edge 24 and a trailing
edge 26, as well as a blade root section 28 and the blade tip
section 29. The blade root section 28 of the rotor blade 16 is
configured to be mounted or otherwise secured to the rotor 18 (FIG.
1). In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotor blade 16 defines a
span 23 that is equal to the total length between the blade root
section 28 and the blade tip section 29. The rotor blade 16 also
defines a chord 27 that is equal to the total length between a
leading edge 24 of the rotor blade 16 and a trailing edge 26 of the
rotor blade 16. As is generally understood, the chord 27 may
generally vary in length with respect to the span 23 as the rotor
blade 16 extends from the blade root section 28 to the blade tip
section 29.
As is well known in the art, the upper shell member 20 and the
lower shell member 22 may be joined together at the leading edge 24
and trailing edge 26 or any other suitable location. Further, the
rotor blade 16 may also include an internal cavity 25 (FIG. 3) in
which various structural members, such as spar caps 32, 34 and one
or more shear webs 30 according to the present disclosure, may be
configured. Thus, the spar caps 32, 34 may generally be designed to
control the bending stresses and/or other loads acting on the rotor
blade 16 in a generally span-wise direction (a direction parallel
to the span 23 of the rotor blade 16) during operation of a wind
turbine 10. In addition, the spar caps 32, 34 may be designed to
withstand the span-wise compression occurring during operation of
the wind turbine 10. Further, the shear web(s) 30 may be configured
to increase the rigidity in the rotor blade 16.
In additional embodiments, the rotor blade 16 of the present
disclosure may be a modular rotor blade, for example, such as the
rotor blades described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.
14/753,137 filed Jun. 29, 2105 and entitled "Modular Wind Turbine
Rotor Blades and Methods of Assembling Same," which is incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety, have a modular panel
configuration.
Referring particularly to FIG. 3, the upper shell member 20 may
contain an upper spar cap 32 configured on an internal surface
thereof. Similarly, the lower shell member 22 may contain a lower
spar cap 34 configured on an internal surface thereof. The shear
web(s) 30 extends between the spar caps 32, 34 along a longitudinal
length of the blade 16 in a generally span-wise direction. The
blade shell 19 may be constructed, at least in part, from a
thermoset or a thermoplastic material. In addition, as mentioned,
the thermoplastic and/or the thermoset material as described herein
may optionally be reinforced with a fiber material, including but
not limited to glass fibers, carbon fibers, polymer fibers, ceramic
fibers, nanofibers, metal fibers, or similar or combinations
thereof. In addition, the direction of the fibers may include
biaxial, unidirectional, triaxial, or any other another suitable
direction and/or combinations thereof. Further, the fiber content
may vary depending on the stiffness required in the corresponding
blade component, the region or location of the blade component in
the rotor blade 16, and/or the desired weldability of the
component.
The thermoplastic materials as described herein generally encompass
a plastic material or polymer that is reversible in nature. For
example, thermoplastic materials typically become pliable or
moldable when heated to a certain temperature and returns to a more
rigid state upon cooling. Further, thermoplastic materials may
include amorphous thermoplastic materials and/or semi-crystalline
thermoplastic materials. For example, some amorphous thermoplastic
materials may generally include, but are not limited to, styrenes,
vinyls, cellulosics, polyesters, acrylics, polysulphones, and/or
imides. More specifically, exemplary amorphous thermoplastic
materials may include polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
(ABS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), glycolised polyethylene
terephthalate (PET-G), polycarbonate, polyvinyl acetate, amorphous
polyamide, polyvinyl chlorides (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride,
polyurethane, or any other suitable amorphous thermoplastic
material. In addition, exemplary semi-crystalline thermoplastic
materials may generally include, but are not limited to
polyolefins, polyamides, fluropolymer, ethyl-methyl acrylate,
polyesters, polycarbonates, and/or acetals. More specifically,
exemplary semi-crystalline thermoplastic materials may include
polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polyethylene terephthalate (PET),
polypropylene, polyphenyl sulfide, polyethylene, polyamide (nylon),
polyetherketone, or any other suitable semi-crystalline
thermoplastic material. Further, the thermoset materials as
described herein generally encompass a plastic material or polymer
that is non-reversible in nature. For example, thermoset materials,
once cured, cannot be easily remolded or returned to a liquid
state. As such, after initial forming, thermoset materials are
generally resistant to heat, corrosion, and/or creep. Example
thermoset materials may generally include, but are not limited to,
some polyesters, some polyurethanes, esters, epoxies, or any other
suitable thermoset material.
Referring now to FIGS. 4-11, various embodiments of modifying a
mold 36 used for manufacturing rotor blades 16 as described herein
are illustrated. Thus, the methods described herein can be used to
easily modify the aerodynamic shape of blade molds by heating and
reforming the surface of the molds and/or welding new material to
the mold surface. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a flow diagram
of one embodiment of a method 100 for modifying the mold of the
rotor blade 16 of a wind turbine 10 according to the present
disclosure is illustrated. More specifically, the molds described
herein may be constructed, at least in part, of a thermoplastic
material optionally reinforced with one or more fiber materials.
For example, in particular embodiments, the fiber materials may
include at least one of glass fibers, carbon fibers, polymer
fibers, ceramic fibers, nanofibers, metal fibers, or any other
suitable fiber material.
As shown at 102, the method 100 includes identifying at least one
blade mold addition 38 for the mold 36 of the rotor blade 16. It
should be understood that the blade mold 36 may include any
suitable mold for the rotor blade 16 and/or blade components. For
example, the mold 36 may include a mold for the shell members 20,
22 (FIG. 5), as well as a mold for one or more blade segments (FIG.
6). Further, the blade mold additions 38 may include any suitable
component or volume that can be added to the pre-existing mold
surface so as to modify the mold geometry. As such, the blade mold
addition(s) 38 may include any of the following add-on components:
a recess, a bump or protrusion, a chord-wise strip, a blade mold
tip extension, a blade mold chord extension (e.g. leading or
trailing edge mold extensions), a blade root extension, or any
other suitable blade mold add-ons for altering the mold. For
example, as shown in FIG. 5, the blade mold additions 38 may
include a blade root mold extension 42, a trailing edge mold
extension 44, or a blade tip mold extension 46. In addition, as
shown in FIG. 6, the blade mold extensions 38 may include
chord-wise or span-wise extensions for a blade segment mold 36.
As shown at 104, the method 100 includes positioning the blade mold
addition 38 at a predetermined location of the mold 36 of the rotor
blade 16. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the various
additions 38 may be located along a span-wise or chord-wise
location of the rotor blade mold 36. Further, as mentioned, the
blade mold additions 38 may be located on an interior mold surface
43 of the blade mold 36. Thus, as shown at 106, the method 100 may
include applying at least one of heat, pressure, and/or one or more
chemicals (e.g. chemical solvents) at an interface 45 of the blade
mold addition 38 and the mold 36 of the rotor blade 16.
Referring now to FIG. 7, the method 100 may further include
providing one or more layers 40 of thermoplastic material at an
interface 45 between the blade mold addition 38 and the mold 36.
Further, in certain embodiments, the method 100 may include
reinforcing at least a portion of the one or more layers 40 of
thermoplastic material with at least one fiber material such as
those described herein. For example, as shown, the blade mold
addition 38 includes a trailing edge addition 44 that can be welded
to the blade mold 36 by placing a plurality of thermoplastic layers
40 between the trailing edge addition 44 and the mold 36 and then
subsequently welded together. Further, the method 100 may include
continuously welding the blade mold addition 38 to the mold 36
along a perimeter 47 thereof, e.g. so as to provide a continuous
weld between the blade mold addition 38 and the blade mold 36.
In additional embodiments, the method 100 may include designing the
blade mold 36 so as to withstand the welding process at the
interface 45. More specifically, the method 100 may include
reinforcing the mold 36 at the interface 45 with at least one of a
predetermined thickness or a structural member such that the
welding step is localized to the interface 45. In other words, the
interface 45 (i.e. where the welding takes place) may be
sufficiently thick and/or supported such that the welding process
only modifies the area containing the interface 45 and not the
remainder of the blade mold 36. Thus, the surface temperature at
the interface 45 may be configured to melt during the welding step,
whereas the remainder of the mold 36 may remain unchanged. As such,
the mold thickness at the interface 45 can be designed to be thick
enough and/or may be supported by a structural member (e.g. a plate
or similar) such that the interface 45 can be locally heated and/or
deformed with the remainder of the mold 36 being unaffected.
Referring now to FIG. 8, the blade mold 36 may include one or more
support members 48 configured to support the blade mold 36 and/or
the blade mold additions 38. For example, as shown, the support
members 48 are configured underneath the mold 36. In certain
embodiments, the support members 48 may also be constructed, at
least in part, of a thermoplastic material. Thus, in certain
embodiments, the method 100 may include determining one or more
locations 49 for the support members 48 based on the blade mold
addition(s) 38. For example, as shown, the locations 49 for the
support members 48 may be extended so as to support a mold 36 that
is extended in overall length. Thus, the support members 48 can be
easily attached, removed, and reattached to the blade mold 36 via
welding.
It should be understood that any suitable welding technique may be
utilized for any of the welding steps as described herein,
including but not limited to laser welding, resistance welding,
direct heat welding, ultrasonic welding, induction welding,
chemical welding, or any other suitable type of welding.
Referring now to FIG. 9, a flow diagram of one embodiment of a
method 200 for repairing the mold 36 of the rotor blade 16 of a
wind turbine 10 according to the present disclosure is illustrated.
As shown at 202, the method 200 may include identifying at least
one defect 56 on the mold 36 of the rotor blade 16. It should be
understood that the defect(s) 56 may be located at any location on
the mold 36 of the rotor blade 16. For example, as shown in FIG.
10, the defect 56 may be identified on the interior mold surface 43
of the mold 36. Further, in certain embodiments, the defect(s) 56
as described herein may include a crack, creep, void, hole,
distortion, deformation, scratch, or any other blade defect. In
addition, mentioned, the mold 36 may be constructed, at least in
part, of a thermoplastic material reinforced with at least one
fiber material. Thus, as shown at 204, the method 200 also includes
applying at least one of heat, pressure, or one or more chemicals
to the at least one defect for a predetermined time period until
the defect is repaired. Accordingly, the thermoplastic resin of the
rotor blade mold 36 may be effectively annealed at the location of
the defect 56, thereby allowing the thermoplastic resin to fill in
the defect(s) 56.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, one or more layers 40 of
thermoplastic material may be positioned or aligned with the defect
56. Thus, the method 200 may include welding the one or more layers
40 of thermoplastic material to the defect 56 of the mold 36 for a
predetermined time period until the defect 56 is repaired.
Referring now to FIG. 11, a schematic diagram of a mold modifying
kit 50 for a thermoplastic blade mold 36 of a rotor blade 16 of a
wind turbine 10 is illustrated. As shown, the mold modifying kit 50
may include at least one blade mold addition 38 also constructed,
at least in part, of thermoplastic material. For example, as
mentioned, the blade mold addition(s) 38 may include recesses,
bumps or protrusions, chord-wise strips, blade mold tip extensions,
blade mold chord extensions, blade root extensions, or similar.
Further, as mentioned, at least a portion of the rotor blade molds
36 as described herein may be constructed, at least in part, of a
thermoplastic material reinforced with at least one fiber material.
Further, the mold modifying kit 50 may include one or more layers
of thermoplastic material configured to assist bonding of the blade
mold addition 38 to the mold 36, e.g. as shown in FIG. 7. Thus, the
mold modifying kit 50 may also include a heating apparatus 52
configured to weld at least a portion of the blade mold addition 38
to the mold 36 of the rotor blade 16. More specifically, in certain
embodiments, the heating apparatus 52 may include a welding
apparatus, a radiation source, a heat lamp, a pump, a light source,
a heated blanket, one or more chemical solvents, or similar. It
should be understood that the mold modifying kit 50 may be further
configured according with any of the additional features as
described herein.
For example, the mold modifying kit 50 may further include one or
more support members 48 configured to support the mold 36 of the
rotor blade 16. Further, the support members 48 may be constructed,
at least in part, of a thermoplastic material. Thus, the heating
apparatus 50 may be configured to weld the one or more support
members 48 to the mold 36 of the rotor blade 16, e.g. in a
plurality of locations that can be adjusted as needed. More
specifically, in certain embodiments, the mold support members 50
may include discreet attachment points at multiple location on the
mold 36, thereby enabling easy detachment and reattachment of the
support members 48 in the area of the mold 26 to be modified. In
addition, as shown in FIG. 11, the mold modifying kit 50 may
further include a controller 54 configured to control a welding
temperature of the welding process.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,
including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in
the art to practice the invention, including making and using any
devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The
patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may
include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such
other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if
they include structural elements that do not differ from the
literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent
structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal
languages of the claims.
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